Chapter 1

'I'm home,' I announced aloud as I walked through the front door. After taking off my shoes I settled them neatly at the entrance of the house. Kaze was cooking. A delicious smell spread all around the house. She turned around from the stove for two seconds just after I set down my schoolbag on the dinner table.

'How was school?' She asked while stirring the cooking in the saucepan.

'Fine,' I answered automatically. That's what you always tell your parents or sister when they asks you this type of question. Then took out a book I borrowed from my schoolbag and started reading.

Kaze turned off the heat on the stove and sat down beside me, still with her apron on. Her long blond hair was tied back to a ponytail, which she always did when she cooks.

'Kurapica, the sun hasn't set yet. There's plenty of time to go outside.' Kaze cupped her face in her hand.

I raised an eyebrow and looked back at her, 'Your point?'

'Well, shouldn't you be playing sports or something like the other ten-year-old kids? I mean, kids your age don't just sit in the house and read all day.' She pulled back some of her loose hair behind her ears as she spoke.

I sighed mentally. I understood why she is worried, but it was a little irritating too. And I definitely didn't like to talk about why I didn't act like my other classmates. After all, I was just doing what I like doing.

'I do play sports at school. Remember I get trained the twin swords as well,' I said. 'Besides, the other kids don't really have the same interests as me.'

My sister wanted to argue back but after considering for a second she shrugged instead. 'I guess.' She stared at my face as if I was a book.

'Neesan?' I asked, finding being stared at was pretty uncomfortable.

Kaze blushed, 'Sorry. It's just that you're like mum in so many ways.'

My mother died seven years ago from a disease. I was only three back then, so I didn't remember her much. Dad and Kaze rarely brought up the topic. I wasn't too sure why, but I got the idea that they didn't like to talk about it. I put down my book to pay full attention to Kaze. 'What was mum like?' I didn't want to miss the opportunity to find out about her since my sister brought it up herself. Although we had photos of her, I couldn't really picture what she was like when she was alive. In the photos, my mother was always smiling brightly. She was a beautiful woman. Kaze and I inherited her blond hair and blue-green eyes.

'Um, I haven't really finished cooking.' Kaze rose up from her chair. She was avoiding the subject, obviously.

'Neesan…' I began. In the corner of my eyes I caught the glimpse of our wall-hanging calendar. I couldn't believe it was today. I slapped myself mentally for forgetting it.

'Is today…'

'Yes,' Kaze said, looking down. 'Mum had been dead for exactly seven years from today.'

I didn't say anything. Actually, I didn't know what to say.

None of us said anything for a while. Finally Kaze turned to me with a slight smile. 'This morning I bought some flowers. I want to visit her grave to give it to her. Do you want to go with me?'

I nodded, feeling guilty that I had almost no feeling for my mother. I knew it wasn't my fault; but I just couldn't help it.

***

'We haven't told you much about her, have we?' Kaze said.

We were walking side by side towards the cemetery. Kaze had along with her a banquet of white flowers.

'No,' I replied. 'I thought that Dad and you just don't really like the topic.'

Kaze was looking at a distance now. It was the sunset. I really like this time of the day. The sky was in spectrums of red, orange and purple, stunningly magnificent. The sun was delivering its last soft rays before handing over the shift to the moon.

I was so rapt by the imagery that I almost missed what Kaze said next.

'I was only nine when she died.' Kaze began. 'She is a very nice person and a wonderful mother, too. Mum is very suborn in some ways; I guess you inherited that from her.' For that, Kaze grinned at me. 'Like you, she was determined in what she believed in. No one could ever alter her decisions once she made up her mind. I can still remember how happy she was when you were born. She always wanted a son, no that she didn't like a daughter; but she had me already so she'd prefer a son.'

At that time we just reached the cemetery. Kaze walked on without another word. I just followed her. Moments after walking through the cemetery I felt really uneasy. It just appeared that cemeteries and graveyards always give you this strange feeling. For a start, it was awfully quiet and still. Not that I'd be expecting drum-rolls and trumpet on my arrival; the place just gives you the creeps, even in daytime. Most the colours you see were green, the grass or white, the tombstones. Those were really like symbolic colours of the cemetery. Well, I thought so anyway.

At last, we arrived in front of a small white tombstone. It was covered with mosses and vines. I couldn't even remember when we last visited it. Kaze brushed away some of the mosses while I pulled out the weeds. Then I stood there and watched her put down the flowers.

' "Don't be sad.",' My sister suddenly spoke. 'Those were her last words. I don't know why she said it. She should know that we could never forget her or the feelings for her. To us, she is always important and special.' Kaze stood up. 'You were there too, when she left us, Kurapica. I guess you don't remember.'

In fact I didn't. I couldn't even picture my mother's face before seeing her photos.

'Kaze and Kurapica?'

It was Dad. Kaze and I blinked in surprise. 'Aren't you suppose to be at work, Dad?' We asked in the exact some moment.

We looked at each other and burst out laughing. When we did stopped Dad answered. 'I took the day off early. Only for today.'

We all knew too well what he meant.

Apparently, Dad bought along a banquet as well. He put it down gently next to the other bundle of flowers. For a while he just stared at the tombstone.

'Seven years,' Kaze said. 'And we still haven't done what she told us to. How can we get over it? We can't.'

'No.' Dad replied firmly.

It was getting dark, so soon we left. The day had been unusual. I knew I'd remember this day for a long time. And I was right, because the day got much, much terrible than I thought.

Author's note: Here goes chapter 1. Chap 1 is the most boring of all probably. I just want to describe a little about Kura's life before that major killing happened to his tribe. It gets better in the next chapter.